Dr. Julio Frenk is expected to become UCLA's seventh chancellor.
“At this crucial moment for higher education, returning to the public sector to lead one of the top research universities in the world — including one of the 10 largest academic health systems — is an exciting opportunity and a great honor for me,” said Frenk.
“I look forward to adding my lifelong commitment to public service in education and health care to the vibrant, diverse and cosmopolitan community that is Los Angeles.”
Frenk — who is the president of the University of Miami — will succeed Dr. Gene Block after 17 years at the helm. His UCLA appointment begins Jan. 1, 2025.
Frenk holds a medical degree from the National University of Mexico as well as an MPH, a master’s in sociology, and a joint doctorate in medical care organization and sociology from the University of Michigan.
Among his career accomplishments, the Mexico native was the founding director of Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health. He served as Mexico’s secretary of health from 2000 to 2006, when his reform efforts helped expand access to health care for more than 55 million uninsured people.
Frenk also worked as an executive director at the World Health Organization in charge of developing the scientific foundation for health policies around the globe and was executive vice president at the nonprofit Mexican Health Foundation.
He was a senior fellow with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s global health program, where he counseled the organization on global health issues and strategies. And he served as dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“Dr. Frenk has demonstrated a powerful commitment to the health and well-being of people, institutions and systems around the world,” said University of California President Dr. Michael Drake. “His leadership will build on the growth and strength the campus has achieved under Chancellor Block and accelerate UCLA’s brilliant trajectory in service to Los Angeles, the nation and the world.”